"The Lord did drive..."Jeremiah 46:15

What would Jesus drive if he were alive today? If you listen to the fire and brimstone crowd it would be the Ford Horseman of the Apocalypse. While many of the faithful claim that Jesus takes a back seat to no one, the driving force behind their evangelistic zeal is their vehicles. So fasten your seatbelts, from horses to Harleys, 18-wheelers to 2-wheelers, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

"Set thine heart toward the highway..."Jeremiah 31:21

In her day Aimee Semple McPherson was bigger than Madonna, the singer, not the virgin. Preaching from the 1920s through the 1940s she was a "first" in many respects. She created the first religious radio station and took celebrity preaching to new heights. Yet it's only a rumor that she rode a motorcycle right up to the altar of Angeles Temple to preach a sermon. In actuality she wore a motorcycle policeman's uniform, cranked a hand siren and shouted to her congregation, "Stop! You've been arrested for speeding." (1)

A definite go-getter, Mrs. McPherson was the first woman to travel across the United States in an automobile without the help of a man. Logging around 100 miles a day she, her mother and her children camped out by night. Daniel Epstein writes of these trips, "West of Illinois the roads sometimes deteriorated into cow paths, with fallen boulders or tree limbs Aimee had to haul away before the car could move on. Sometimes a road would end suddenly around a bend, defying the maps in the Automobile Blue Book. They would backtrack for hours, searching for an alternate route."

During her lifetime Mrs. McPherson, an avid swimmer, probably swam the distance across this country. In 1926 a dip at Ocean Park landed her mysteriously in Agua Prieta, Mexico. Weeks after her disappearance she walked out of the desert, the victim of an alleged kidnapping. The ensuing trial in Los Angeles set the stage for later media spectacles such as the Menendez and Simpson trials. Charged with the corruption of public morals Los Angeles struggled to decide whether her story was true, or just a publicity stunt.

Despite the high profile nature of her life, Aimee Semple McPherson stumped around the world, bringing together in her services people of all races, scandalous in itself in the early part of this century. She healed thousands of people who had nowhere else to turn and set in motion hundreds of personal ministries dependent on God and any number of wheels.

So for this and many other reasons it's fitting that Los Angeles is home to the Blessing of the Cars in Verdugo Park at the end of each July. One star-struck devotee (with a fine-tuned eye for fashion) writes,

"Wow, could that really be Lux Interior and Ivy Rorschack coming down the path admiring that '59 Buick Invicta? Yes indeedy - so I ask them if they will let me take their picture. They were very nice and looked great too. Ivy had an antique Chinese parasol and was wearing some black toreador slacks with fancy oriental brocade up the sides that could have taken a trophy today if they had a special category for it..."

"Drive, and go forward; slack not..."2 Kings 4:24

The International Christian Bikers' Association is headquartered in Canada, right across from Niagra Falls. Ex-outlaw biker turned gospel minister, Pastor Ed Brouwer, was the founder of Canada's Christian Motorcycle Ministries Incorporated. Back when the organization was first founded "no one even had a motorcycle", but now "access to a motorcycle suitable for ministry" is required.

In 1989 Canadian producer/director Stavros Stavrides produced the documentary "God Rides a Harley," about the Christian motorcycle group. He won a Genie, the Canadian equivalent of an Oscar, for his work.

I spoke with James Crowe, the director of photography for "God Rides a Harley. He told me the bikers were suspicious of the project at first. Stavrides convinced them that they just wanted to hear their stories. They worked with the bikers through the summer and fall of 1989.

Crowe said that the bikers bond with each other through their bikes and feel that people without bikes aren't able to understand who they are. Through Christianity the bikers develop an identity separate from the group, while continuing to enjoy the company of their fellow bikers. Crowe told me that becoming Christians was a challenge to these men as they had to learn new ways to communicate and articulate their thoughts.

<KEYWORDS>Christian motorcycle association Jesus Christ salvation eternal life resurrection hell heaven saviour Honda Yamaha Kawasaki BMW Ducatti Harley Davidson Suzuki fellowship prison ministry Buel CMA Hatfield</KEYWORDS>

Who would you nominate for the poster child of AMERICA'S Christian bikers? How about flm star Gary Busey? He survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 1988, a drug overdose in 1995 and the removal of a tumor in his nasal cavity this year. (Early cocaine treatments to shrink the swelling tumor proved fruitless.) God has finally driven Gary to his knees, yes, he's born again. His conversion should help in his new role as a lobbiest for mandatory motorcycle helmets.

"[He] wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway."2 Samuel 20:12

Christian car culture wouldn't be complete without its own brand of gospel music. "Wreck on the Highway" is a grim little ditty imortalized by Roy Acuff. Early in the song the scene is set, "There was whiskey and blood altogether, mixed with glass where they lay."

This tragic morality tale ends with,

I wish I could change this sad story,
that I am now telling you,
but there is no way I can change it
for somebody's life is now through.
Their soul has been called by the master.
They died in a crash on the way.
I heard the groans of the dying,
but I didn't hear nobody pray.

Not to be outdone, Christian truckers offer a glimpse into this rarefied subgenre with Ed Bernet's "The Night I Talked to the Lord [on my CB radio]." In this song a trucker skids off the ice, over a cliff, praying as he falls. After his rescue he tells this eerie tale,

Well, it must have been about three days later,
an old man told me he'd heard a call.
He said it come from over 50 miles away and
nearly blew his speaker off the wall.
And he told me how his soul was tremblin' when he heard the voice say,
"Fifteen miles, just south of town, there's a good man,
a truckin' man, and his rig is down."

I have to tip my hat to truckers, Christian or not, who spend long, lonely, stressful hours on the road basically bringing everything we need right to our doorsteps. It comes as no surprise that special ministries have been created to try to meet their needs. A few are listed below.

"O my God, make them like a wheel..."Psalms 83:13

A.C.T.
Association of Christian Truckers
"Hours of driving time yield the boredom of what drivers sometimes refer to as White-line fever. But Christian drivers have discovered the value of using their driving time to meditate on God's Word. It's becoming more and more common to see the lighted symbol of the cross on the grill or wind jammer of a truck as drivers proudly display the symbol of the faith they have in their hearts. Make the Holy Bible your road map for travel on the highway of a successful Christian life."

Truckers for Christ
"The need for Truckers for Christ, Inc. is obvious in that the public perception of truck drivers is usually negative. There are many truck drivers who are hard working, God fearing men. Truckers For Christ, Inc. will give these men the opportunity to fellowship with other Christians while on the job and encourage them to witness to non-Christian drivers."

Transport for Christ
"Transport For Christ is a ministry dedicated to reaching the trucking world. Mobile chapels are placed at truck stops mostly throughout the U.S., with two in Canada and one in Russia. The chapels are staffed by caring Chaplains who are there to pray, counsel and fellowship with the truckers, day or night. Services are usually held on the weekend, but often throughout the week you'll find a group of drivers discussing the Word and praying for one another. If you need someone to talk to, if you need encouragement, if you're having family troubles...whatever the case may be, our chaplains are here for you. Please stop in and say hello!"

Russia?!

Christians have their own trucking company as well, Covenant Transport of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Spotted often on the road between Reno and Sacramento the trucks bear anti-abortion bumperstickers. Listed on the stock exchange their earning have suffered recently because of increased wages, due to lengthy driver tenure. They encourage husband and wife teams and must be commended for putting their workers before profits. Two things worry me however, one - the scroll over the map of the United States has decidedly reconstructionist overtones, and two - are they aware of their webmaster's anti-Christian filenaming conventions? One of their graphics is named "coven.jpg"!! Covenant Transport did not respond to my request for comment.

"All the inhabitants of the land shall howl...at the rumbling of his wheels."Jeremiah 47:2,3

One of my favorite things about Christianity is what these people can do with acronyms. What would you think the letters C.A.R.E. would stand for? I always assumed it was a relief organization but nope, it's Christian Auto Racing Evangelism.

"With the Lord's blessing, may we hope that CARE becomes a great tool for spreading the Gospel in the Auto Racing Community. On the CARE Photo Gallery Page, you will find photos of drivers, who, because of their proclamation that they are not ashamed of the Gospel, have probably inspired many to wonder."

No kidding! As a teenager I watched the sun set countless summer nights over the Meridian Speedway. The smell of burning oil and rubber, the loud roaring of engines, the pretty girls with boquets of flowers, the tight, bun-hugging racing clothes, the sexy, wind-blown swagger of the drivers, the spectre of imminent death, all blended together to inspire me as a budding young Christian.

Only cowboys could rival the sensuality of the autoracers. Who wouldn't look up to those rugged men, on their big sweaty, snorting animals, ropes, quirts, bits and boots, . . . excuse me, I get carried away. If you're in the mood to worship God from the saddle, check out these web sites:

Cowboy Christian Fellowship
"Riding for Jesus"
"Cowboy Christian Fellowship was founded in 1997 to preach the Gospel on the Rodeo Circuit by Reverand Robert M. Paris, or as many know him, T.K. A former WCRA cowboy, Rev. Paris was licensed in 1996 by the Assemblies of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. He felt called to a ministry for Rodeo and Ranch cowboys. He came by ranching and rodeoing honestly. His grandfather was the owner of the 4 Point Buck Ranch, his great grandfather was a rancher and rodeo hand with the old CTA."

Brand of the Cross
"Scott is a Christian country artist, and a professional rodeo cowboy. Scott Brown is the real thing, not just a singer who performs with a cowboy hat on."

In closing, it's important to remember that it's the message, not the vehicle in which it is delivered that is important. Larry Gross, 52, has taken up his cross and walked the earth (as the Samuel Jackson character wanted to do in Pulp Fiction) for ten years. The 40 pound crosses have been stolen 3 times and as he's aged he's made one concession to the road, one little wheel on the bottom of the cross. His mission is to the poor and disenfranchised, to tell them that Jesus loves them.(2)

So whether it's eighteen wheels, or one little one, go with God, and don't let the screen door hit you in the butt.

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